European Greenpeace activists arranged a classic action in Denmark this week, when they staged an informational session about oil drilling off the shore of northeast Greenland. Working in Copenhagen during a meeting called by the Greenland Bureau of […]

Apalachicola residents say installation of over powerline would degrade the town’s scenic waterfront; construction already under way

A few days after holding a mock funeral to draw attention to the impending threat of a powerline project that would degrade the character of their historic Florida town, residents of Apalachicola are […]

The 2011 Atlantic hurricane season officially ends November 30 after producing a total of 19 tropical storms. Seven became hurricanes, including three major hurricanes. The activity matched NOAA’s predictions and continues the trend of active hurricane seasons that […]

Sen. Mark Udall once again was a stalwart advocate for civil liberties this week as the U.S. Senate voted for an unprecedented expansion of military police power as part of the National Defense Authorization Act — all in the name of fighting terror. According […]

Atrazine, a commonly used herbicide, has been linked with reproductive problems in animals. A research team studying a global database on atrazine exposure found found consistent patterns of reproductive dysfunction in amphibians, fish, reptiles and mammals exposed to the chemical. “One of […]

A doubling of the global demand for food by 2050, the world will likely face create significant new environmental challenges unless agricultural practices change. Producing the quantities of food needed to meet that demand could add significant amounts of carbon dioxide […]

U.S. Department of Agriculture considering use of pest-control substances

Federal officials are taking comment on a proposed rule that addresses the use of three substances in organic agriculture: tetracycline, formic acid and attapulgite. The use antibiotics like tetracycline in organic agriculture has been hotly debated and tetracycline was scheduled […]

A decades-old water-rights struggle between the U.S. Forest and the ski industry flared up again this week, as the National Ski Areas Association charged that the agency wants to make an end run around state law and “take away” water […]

Recycling 75 percent of the nation’s waste would create nearly 1.5 million jobs by 2030 while significantly reducing pollution, saving water and energy, and building economically strong and healthy communities, according to a new study released this week by leading […]

Efforts on behalf of rural communities by U.S. Senator Michael Bennet have paid off, as the U.S. Postal Service put a temporary “time-out” on post office closings that will provide more time for the Agency to examine potential effects of these closings on local […]

Oil drilling in the coastal strip in the Alaskan Arctic has been hotly contested for decades

Continuing to push for domestic energy production, House Republicans this week said they will introduce a bill that would open parts of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil drilling. Although the area […]

While biologists are still trying to understand the full ramifications of last year’s Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, the Obama administration has apparently caved in to political pressure by opening new areas in the Gulf for […]

Vets opposed to changes in military retirement system, health benefits

The national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars says recent proposals to cut military benefits could affect the morale of U.S. troops in Afghanistan. The country currently has about 190,000 soldiers deployed around the world. “The troops are […]

Small doses of poisonous carbon monoxide may help city dwellers deal with stresses of urban life, including excessive noise and over-crowding, according to a new study by a professor at Tel Aviv University. Carbon monoxide […]

The Obama administration this week cautiously moved toward increased oil leasing, exploration and drilling in the Arctic Sea off the coast of Alaska, as well as more drilling in the Gulf of Mexico. […]

Energy development paid off for Wyoming in a big way last year, as the state collected nearly half of the $2 billion disbursed by the federal government to states from revenues collected on public land energy production. Altogether, the Department of the Interior […]

Byproduct of drilling operations can have a slew of negative health impacts

Taking a small step in the long-running battle over oil and gas drilling impacts to communities, the EPA this week ruled that energy companies must once again include releases of hydrogen sulfide as part of their required […]

A 146-acre parcel in Aurora could become an urban renewable energy park under a federal initiative that aims to redevelop Superfund sites, brownfields, and former landfill or mining sites across the country. […]

The tsunami that hit Japan last March unleased an unprecedented tide of ocean debris that’s now moving across the Pacific and toward North America. Now, scientists, educators and eco-adventurers have the chance to join a research expedition through the […]

Groups show solidarity with indigenous people, call for halt to mining

After nine weeks walking through rain, wind and dust across a big chunk of Australia, 50 protest marchers arrived in Perth to call for an end to uranium mining in Australia. “Footprints for Peace have organized international walks […]

More than 30 percent of the 10,000 additives permitted for use in human food were approved without review by the the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Safety decisions on those substances were made by food manufacturers and a trade association, according to an […]

An increase forest fires in the Mediterranean region has been linked with shifting demographics and changes in land use, according to scientists with the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid. The study, recently published in the journal Climatic Change, […]

Some children in Nicaragua may have the chance to taste milk for the first time thanks to a recent U.S. Department of Agriculture award to Food For The Poor, a Florida-based group working to provide food relief in the Caribbean region […]

On the 25th anniversary of the historic Reykjavik Summit, when presidents Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev nearly agreed to eliminate all nuclear weapons, Global Zero is calling on nuclear nations to begin negotiations on multilateral nuclear […]

Together with activists from around the world, a group of native Aboriginal custodians is marching 1,200 kilometers across Western Australia to protest plans for a new mine by Toro Energy in Wiluna. Concerns about uranium mining have heated up in Australia […]

Federal scientists say oil from the Exxon Valdez spill more than 20 years ago is still affecting coastal ecosystems in Alaska and requires more restoration efforts — But Exxon (now ExxonMobil) attorneys are asking a federal court to release the […]

The number of Americans facing hunger and food insecurity on a daily basis has grown by about 30 percent to 49 million since the start of the recession in 2007, according to a report released by Brandeis University last […]

The latest comprehensive national wetlands survey showed a net loss of 82,300 acres between 2004 and 2009, and even though the rate of wetlands losses slowed, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar said the trend is alarming, especially for places like the Mississippi River Delta. […]

Hurricane Jova, now a Category 2 storm with 100 mph winds, has triggered a hurricane warning along the coast of Mexico from Punta San Telmo north to Cabo Corrientes, Mexico. A tropical storm warning is in effect from Punta San Telmo south […]

Two tropical cyclones in the eastern Pacific continue to head for the Mexico coast this weekend, where storm watches and warnings may be issued in the next few days. Hurricane Jova is nearest the coast and expected to make landfall early next […]

Two tropical storms will start pinwheeling around each other in the eastern Pacific and gain strength, and the National Hurricane Center says both Jova and Irwin could pose a threat to the coast of Mexico next week. Tropical Storm Jova, currently with […]

Local media stakeholders advocate for a shift in federal advertising dollars

Acknowledging breathtaking progress in the realm of information technology, a recent Federal Communications Commission working group report concluded that those changes in the media landscape have resulted in significant deficits in local news coverage. In some cases, there […]

Second major hurricane of the season expected to graze Newfoundland on Monday

Hurricane Ophelia reached peak intensity as a Category 4 hurricane as it raced to the east of Bermuda Saturday with sustained winds of 140 mph. Parts of the islands experienced tropical storm force winds as Ophelia headed […]

In the ongoing battle over reducing greenhouse gas emissions from commercial aviation, The U.S. last week sided with fossil fuel dinosaurs like Saudi Arabia. American officials signed a statement suggesting opposition to an European Aviation Directive that would […]

The National Park Service is mourning the loss of former director Roger G. Kennedy, who passed away Sept. 30 at the age of 85. Kennedy, who served as director from 1993 to 1997, defended the National Park system from […]

Australian researchers say they’ve developed a new way of accurately measuring shark populations, and the results show the ocean predators are in big trouble on the Great Barrier Reef and around the world. “There is […]

Hurricane Hilary regained strength Monday, redeveloping sustained winds of 135 mph as it continued to move west over warm waters and in a low wind-shear environment. The storm is expected to weaken during the next few days as it […]

The greatness of a country isn’t measured by the size of its skyscrapers or the sturdiness of its redoubts. Time and again history has shown that, no matter how tall the tower, it can crumble; no matter how thick the walls, they they can be […]

Researchers say more resources should be devoted to managing and improving near-shore fisheries

Deep-sea fishing depletes marine biodiversity, causes profound damage on the ocean floor and should be curtailed to preserve marine resources, according to a group of scientists who published a comprehensive online study this week in the […]

Texas officials completed a comprehensive assessment of the Bastrop Fire complex and said Thursday that a total of 1,386 homes were destroyed by the fire that raged through the area during Labor Day weekend. The fire has burned across a […]

Tropical Storm Maria weakened as it moved west toward the Leeward Islands, but forecasters with the National Hurricane Center the cyclone could re-group and gain strength in a few days when it reaches the eastern Caribbean Sea, north of Puerto Rico. […]

Improvements will enable future Amtrak Acela service to reach speeds of 186 mph

A major funding boost from the U.S. Department of Transportation will help speed up passenger rail service in the busy northeastern corridor. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood this week announced nearly $745 million for construction to […]

The 33,000-acre Bastrop Fire, one of the most destructive of the recent Texas wildfires, is now 30 percent contained, according to the Texas Forest Service, but the fire is still threatening a powerplant, as well as historic cabins in Bastrop State […]

Average August temperatures across the U.S. soared to 75.7 degrees, a full 3 degrees above the long-term average (1901-2000) resulting in the second-warmest August on record for the country, the National Climatic Data Center reported today in its monthly State […]

The Atlantic hurricane season is starting to peak, with three tropical systems now churning: Hurricane Katia, turning north and away from land, Tropical Storm Maria, bearing down on the Windward Islands and Tropical Storm Nate, wobbling in the Southern Gulf […]

A surge of new wind-driven wildfires in Texas may have destroyed up to 700 homes in just two days during the Labor Day weekend, the Texas Forest Service said in its daily update. There is still conflicting information about deaths […]

The National Hurricane Center upgraded the tropical disturbance over the Bay of Campeche to Tropical Storm Nate Wednesday afternoon, and forecast that the storm could reach hurricane strength by Friday. A preliminary forecast track taking the storm north, then […]

New National Park site in Washington, D.C. commemorates King’s leadership of the civil rights movement: “Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”

The newest memorial site in the National Park system honors not a general or a […]